Chico and so much more at big switch-ons

A feast of music and festive celebration will provide the countdown for Cambridge’s Big Christmas Lights Switch On this weekend.

Entertainer and former X Factor competitor Chico was revealed last week as the man who will light up the city at 5pm on Sunday in market square.

But the festive season will be welcomed with a whole day of live musical performances and Christmas-themed events at venues including the Grand Arcade, The Lion Yard, The Grafton and market square itself.

In market square, performers will include Rat Pack cover star Sammy Sinatra and Cambridge pop band The Sound of Pop Art, Soul party-starters Freddie Hall Band will be rounding off the celebrations, which are due to finish at 6pm.

The Grafton stage is hosting acts from 11am to 5pm, including its own switch-on at noon, a Santa Show and live performance from Chico – the Grand Arcade has a line-up including Cambridge Rock Choir and winner of Huntingdon’s Got Talent, Matilda Perez.

Cambridge Has Talent performers will also be hopping between all three stages.

Lidia De Luca, marketing and PR manager at Grand Arcade, said Sunday heralds the start of the centre’s Christmas programme.

She said: “We have a fantastic variety of entertainment throughout the day and are very excited to introduce our winners of Cambridge Has Talent 2012 following our Christmas lights switch-on at 4pm.

“We are expecting a good turnout for this event and look forward to welcoming families from across the region to join our celebrations, see our stunning lights display and enjoy the festive music, shopping promotions and Grand Christmas countdown.”

The switch-on is organised by Love Cambridge in partnership with Cambridge City Council, the News and Heart 103 and the community fund sponsors.

Yes Cambridge truly is the city to be. We have the best bands, the best celebrities, Olympic champions, comedians, tv stars, movie stars, leaders in science. It's the place where the modern rules of football was written, and our University is a world leader. We are a city of culture. WHAT A SHAME CCC CANNOT SEE THIS. AND THEN ON TOP OF IT THEY BOOK CHICO. ### WHAT A JOKE ###

Why on earth can CCC not ask a local Olympian or Paralympian to turn the lights on? An inspiring figure who the youth of Cambridge can look up to and get a real idea of what can be achieved if you set your mind towards hard work and dedication...rather than promoting a man who is just very mediocre (at best) at what he does. I think this is very short sighted of CCC and just goes to exacerbate the problem with modern society and the youngsters of today - who see a 'celebrity status' as much more important than a figure who has actually achieved something tangible. This cannot be blamed on finances because I do not believe for one minute that Chico would cost LESS than one of our local Olympian/Paralympian heroes! This is an absolute joke and the CCC need to ask themselves if they have really taken a sensible and constructive approach to this, or whether this was just decided on the back of a *** packet over lunch down the pub one day!

Obviously neither the council nor the CEN can afford a real celebrity, which is fair enough in these straitened times, but in that case why not find a local worthy to do it rather than trying to fool us into thinking that we care about a failed X-Factor contestant?